Three places for chicken soup on the North Fork

You’ve just finished shoveling. The cuffs on your pants are wet. Your face and fingers are numb.

Worst of all, you feel a head cold coming on.

Don’t head inside just yet — at least not without first grabbing something that will truly make you feel better.

While modern medicine still hasn’t found a cure for the common cold, there’s been one tried-and-true remedy that dates back centuries: chicken soup. It will warm you up and help clear those stuffy sinuses.

The only question that should remain is where to go.

Hope this helps!

Blue Duck Bakery Cafe

Locations: Riverhead, Greenport and Southampton

Cost: $5.99 for 16 oz., $3.99 for 8 oz.

Owner Keith Kouris says chicken noodle soup is a must-have in any bakery, cafe or deli.
“It’s all natural,” Mr. Kouris said of his offering. “We have our own stock. It’s not made with a commercial stock. It’s full of noodles and fresh chicken. For us, it’s a year-round soup. Any rainy day, even in August, people love chicken soup.

“People get colds they love chicken soup. And this year, everyone I know is sick.”

Though it’s always available at Blue Duck locations (except for Southold), sales about double in the winter, Mr. Kouris said.

Wayside Market

Location: Southold

Cost: $3.50 for 16 oz., $3 for 10 oz., $8.99 for a quart

Wayside Market, which has been in business since 1962,rotates several different types of soup through its menu, including traditional (thin) chicken noodle, wide noodle chicken, chicken and rice, and chicken barley.

“We have it all year ’round, chicken soup for the soul,” said owner Pasquale Rutigliano, who said he “takes pride” in the hearty portions Wayside serves its customers.

In that vain, he said he added the wide-noodles variety “a couple years back.”

If you’re looking for traditional chicken noodles, it’s being served today, Tuesday.

Wednesday’s Table

Location: Southold

Cost: $3.95 for 12 oz., $4.95 for 16 oz.

Wednesday’s Table just opened in December in the former space of the Piping Plover, so it’s hard for the staff there to say whether they’ll keep chicken noodle soup on the menu throughout the year.

But it’s certainly available now, said chef Linh Trieu.

“We have the chicken noodle soup all the time,” she said. “We use antibiotic-free chicken, in small batches. And all the vegetables are hand cut and sourced from good vendors.”

Remember that Wednesday’s Table is closed on Wednesdays. Read more about that here.